When I got up this morning I knew my girls (bridesmaids Tammy and Shelley) were coming over and thank god because I had woken up from a horrible nightmare. As we sat around the kitchen table to discuss our dress shopping plans I set down my coffee cup to tell them what had scared the wits out of me…

Last night I had such a vivid dream… It was my wedding day and I was in my white dress. I looked at my watch and it was 2:00. The wedding was suppose to be at 2:oo so I was late!! I was still at home. I was frantically searching for my make up. I jammed it into my purse along with nail polish that I attempted to apply in the car while driving to the location. I thought about how mad John would be with me being so late.

I suddenly realized I had no flowers. So I called Tammy and said, “Can you go to the flower store and get me a boquet and meet me there?!” (while Tammy listened to me telling this story she said, “Oh my god Laura, don’t do that to me on the wedding day!!!”) When I arrived at the Hall/School/Church or where ever it was since locations always change in dreams, I was shoeless. “Tammy! Can you run to my house and get my shoes??!!” I cried out. (Again, listening to this, Tam said, “Don’t you dare do that to me!!!”).

I looked in the mirror and shockingly my hair was not done. People surrounded me trying to pile it up on my head and finally I was ready – about 1 hour late. I was so upset about being late and about still looking rather disheveled that I was just sick about it. I took a deep breath and flung open the doors to enter the room hoping John would still be happy to see me.

There, at the other end of the room, was John’s back. As he turned around, we locked eyes. He wasn’t mad, he was horrified. A quick scan of the room gave me a clue why – there was no one in there, row after row of chairs were all empty. The realization of what the problem was hit us at the same time and so we both shouted out together, “WE FORGOT TO SEND THE INVITATIONS!!!!!” That’s when I woke up.

Tammy laughed hysterically at this, but continued to warn me not to be phoning her 30 minutes before the ceremony with no flowers or shoes! Shelly, ever the therapist, leaned across the table and placed her hand on mine. “Sweetie” she said, “I think your sub-conscience is trying to tell you something… I think it’s telling you to get some wedding plans done.”

So, some wedding plans have indeed been made today – progress has occurred. Shelley and Tammy found beautiful, beautiful dresses for the wedding and Tammy stayed at my place this afternoon helping to finalize lists and make phone calls to venders. Yes, progress has been made. I should sleep easier tonight.

I began going to a new church about a year ago. We’ve been going as a family actually – my fiance, myself, and my seven-year-old. As part of our renewed commitment to Christianity and to set an example for our son, we also began saying prayers before our meals at home. At first the practice felt uncomfortable, the words did not flow forth easily. But over time, it began to feel more natural.

I’m still a little shy about our ritual in public or in other people’s homes, but occasionally we have had our prayers in restaurants. We’d hold hands and bow our heads and say it… quietly! I remember the first time we tried that at Swiss Chalet… A quick peak up revealed that those sitting near us had stopped talking and eating and seamed to be listening. What were they thinking? Perhaps they found it endearing; perhaps they found it silly!!

We take turns saying a prayer, even little Mirko takes his turn (his are much shorter!) When he’s really hungry, he asks if he can say the prayer… because he knows that will be faster!! But he does a great job, and I think it makes him feel a bit “grown up” to lead our family in prayer.

The ironic part about it is that the major motivation for beginning the practice was for the benefit of our son, and in the end, I wonder if John and I don’t benefit just as much, or more. It has had some interesting effects, like creating a stronger family bond, giving us a reason to eat together instead of grabbing food on the run, and providing us a “time out” a few times a day to hold each others hands.

For me personally, the best part is that our morning prayer always involves saying thank you to God for another day of life. It’s amazing how much that simple sentence has impacted me. I know I am a changed person since beginning every day feeling grateful to be alive.

Knitting has always seemed so mysterious to me. How could two straight needles and a ball of yarn produce so many different things? How neat it would be to create an actual “something” with such basic tools. I also love the look of hand knits, from chunky woolen mittens to cozy socks, they are rustic and reminiscent of a timeless family traditions.

So, here I am with a pair of borrowed knitting needles and a few balls of cotton yarn bought on sale. The only thing to do now is learn how. I picked up a few books at the library but found most of them to be, ahem, a little advanced for me. The one that was the most useful was: How to Knit by Debbie Bliss. It has easy projects and lots of pictures.

That said, I still needed to start with something even more basic. So I did what most resourceful people in this decade do, I turned to YouTube. There I found what I will admit is a little cheesy (the host of the “knitting cafe” tries hard to be cooool with the teens she is teaching, which of course has the opposite effect) but it is also an excellent explanation and visual of the basic techniques. There are 12 or so episodes showing everything you need to get started from casting on and casting off, to how to fix a dropped stitch. It looks to be the clearest and simplest knitting tutorial out there. Knitting Tutorial for Beginners 1

And so now I’m knitting a blue scarf. Its a great way to get used to knitting – the feel of it, the rhythem, etc. I hope to wear it proudly next winter! Although, in PEI this Spring, it could almost be worn now!

It’s time to get my act together… Over the last few days we have looked at our finances and budget and are clear on what we have available. Full steam ahead now!

This morning I downloaded what I think will be a life saver: Wedding Planning Excel Spreadsheet Templates! They come with all kinds of things from guest lists, to a step-by-step time line of the tasks and events on the big day. Download them from:Wedding Junkie

We also spent some time shopping yesterday to look for decorating ideas. While looking at beautiful, over-sized (and very expensive) glass vases at craft shops it hit me that many couples have probably purchased the very things we were looking at and used them for only one day. What did they do with them afterward? Probably packed them away in their basements. I started thinking that we should try to find wedding decor second-hand. So, I’m going to place a few on-line notices of things we are wanting to buy to see if there are any sellers out there!

So our wedding is August 20th. Of this year. Today is May 3rd. Today is May 3rd… the wedding is August 20th. Now for the really shocking part… we haven’t started planning it yet. Nope, not a joke. To be clear, I’m kind of freaking out.

Well, we started planning it a while back as a destination wedding, but those plans changed. Now its a local wedding and its coming soon. We have both been busy with school. Hubby-to-be just finished his Bachelor of Science in Nursing last month (I’m so proud of him by the way!) and well, I’m just about a professional student. So, over the last year school has been demanding and so has parenthood – I have a beautiful little boy, and the wedding plans just had to wait. Question: does anyone know how to toss a wedding together in 3.5 months?

Well, we aren’t starting from scratch, we have an outdoor wedding location picked and we have a reception location picked. I also have a dress. Really, what needs to be filled in is details. Lots and lots of details.

My first gardening project of the year is starting some indoor plants. I am planting two types of tomatoes: Mosaic Mix – cherry and grape varieties in a rainbow of colours; and Saxon Tomatoes which look like the “tomatoes on a vine” you get at the grocery store. I put 3 seeds in each little pot with basic indoor/outdoor soil. They can be transplanted one plant per pot later.

I am also planting Yellow Peppers. They are super late starting to be put in the garden later so these babies might just stay indoors. Finally, I am planing a mix of herbs (Oregano, Summer Savory, Sweet Basil, Cilantro, Chives, and Dill) which I may move to an outdoor planter on the deck. We’ll see. Lets hope they grow first. I am already anxious to see little sprouts coming up!

I got the seeds and a herb garden kit complete with all the herb seeds and the little cube planters all at Vessys in York, PEI. They tell me left over seeds can be saved for next year. They also tell me I’m a bit late for starting my tomatoes…

In the photo on the right you can see that I placed 2 antique tables in front of the window to hold my plants. (Hubby likes antiques and has lots of little odds and ends like this in the barn.) One of the tables has a hole cut out for a basin so I just dropped my big Aloe Vera plant right in the hole. Voila, useful table!

This summer I will say ‘I do’ to the love of my life. I’m overjoyed and excited, but also a little apprehensive about being… the wife!

In my apprehension about domestic life, something very odd is happening to me. There are library books strewn around the house on gardening, making preserves, knitting, and last but not least, wedding dresses. Big, puffy, girly wedding dresses. Have I lost my senses? Perhaps. I’m getting married this summer and although I’ve always thought of myself as a modern woman – independent, ambitious, career-oriented – it appears I’m going ‘wife-y.’ By that I mean I’m becoming one of those women concerned with domestic affairs. And the worst part, or maybe the best part, is I love it! If your not convinced that I’m going wife-y, this ought to do it: yesterday I inherited an ancient Singer sewing machine and I’m thrilled. I already have my first project picked out – cloth backing for the bamboo blinds in the kitchen.

There’s just one problem in all this…. I don’t know much about this domestic stuff. I don’t cook particularly well. I don’t, as yet, know how to operate the sewing machine and I don’t know what to plant in that garden space out back. So, I will become a great student of the art of wifely living. Or perhaps just the class clown. We’ll see… 🙂